Uhh. I found this while going through some old files from like...2013? It was mostly finished and just needed some formatting. I still get emails about reviews and favorites on this story. Which is, quite frankly, confounding. I recently got a long PM from someone about Neptune's Call and the fandom has woken up a bit as of late. So I went digging though my old stuff and found this and I thought "Why not?" It felt selfish to just leave it on my hard drive to rot when clearly people still care? I'd like to stress that this does not lift the indefinite hiatus. I'm not the same person I was when I was writing, and I don't know if I can ever get that gift back. It seems like something I had to give up in order to be able to grow in other aspects. I've mourned it, truly. But I love this story, I always will. Recently I've started to feel excited about fandom in general again, so if I think of any notes about this story in passing, maybe I'll toss them on here? I'm not gonna commit to actually continuing this, because that was be irresponsible, but if people are still interested, I'll share my thoughts.

With love and appreciation(and no small amount of confusion),

Kimba

Yet again, Allen woke up to pain. He tried to open his eyes but it was way too bright and he was forced to shut them, again. He simply lay still and took stock of what he knew.

First and foremost, he hurt. His entire body was one big ache. The most intense pain was radiating from his shoulder and it throbbed in time with his heart. Allen's throat felt scratchy.

Second, he remembered the fire and vaguely recalled an exit but he couldn't remember anything after that. Was he just laying outside then? No, that couldn't be true, he realized, feeling the blanket that seemed to have magically appeared on top of him.

Had he escaped only to be re-captured?

The merman's heart-rate picked up double time, making pain shoot through him, but he ignored it and tried to focus on his surroundings. All he heard was a dull grinding and...it sounded like two stones being hit against each other?

Slowly, two grey eyes opened, wincing slightly at the light, but faring better than last time.

He was laying on his back in a room. A very, very small room.

'No, that's not right. I sort of recognize this. A carriage?'

There didn't seem to be anyone else in the carriage, so he tried to sit up.

The white haired boy let loose a scream before he could even think to stifle it. His shoulder was agony.

Almost Immediately, the steady rocking of the carriage jerked to a stop, making Allen hiss at the movement.

A moment later, the door of the carriage flew open to reveal a face that was unexpected, but not unappreciated.

"L-Lavi?"

"Allen! You shouldn't try to move yet. Lie still. Are you okay?

Gingerly, the merman did as directed and took several slow breaths before answering.

"I think I am. Why am I in a carriage?"

As he was currently facing the ceiling of the vehicle, Allen could not see the speaker's face, but he was sure he heard a grin in Lavi's voice when he answered:

"It's a getaway car. I borrowed it from the Order."

The white haired boy laughed, and then whimpered a little because it hurt.

"I'm sorry Allen. We don't really have a lot of time to stop right now. The Order is sure to be right behind us. I'll check up on your wounds once I find a good place to stop, okay?"

Grimly, Allen raised his functioning hand in affirmation.

For a long while, he thought of nothing. It was easier that way. But eventually, thoughts floated through the cracks and settled like dust in the pit of Allen's mind.

What in the hell was he doing all this for?

This whole thing was absolutely insane. He just wanted to curl up into himself and never come out again. He could trust no one and nothing, not even himself. His mind played tricks on him as he attempted to rest, the voice in the back of his head growing stronger by the minute. He tried to tune it out to no avail.

My, what a situation.

Allen turned his face to the side, hoping to block out the noise.

Wounded. On the run from a powerful organization, likely to capture you in the end.

'Shut up.'

Lets not forget that magical predicament you've found yourself in. How exactly do you intend to return with no children?

"Be quiet," Allen hissed aloud.

And to top it all off, you've developed feelings for your enemies. How shameless.

"I said leave me alone!"

Perhaps yelling at his inner demons wasn't the best idea, but he was tired and freaked out. The carriage once again slowed to a stop and the door opened. Allen didn't attempt to sit up again, knowing that he would only have to face Lavi's concern and confusion.

"Allen? Were you having a bad dream?"

"No." He gritted out.

"Uh," The red head hesitated. "Okay. Is...there someone else in here that I should know about?" It sounded like an attempt at a joke, but ultimately fell flat, because Allen had a feeling it might be more true than his friend realized.

"I'm...just really hurting, Lavi."

Which wasn't a lie. His shoulder had gone from fiery pain to icy numbness. Now that Allen thought about it, his shirt was stiff and sticking to him and his fingers were vaguely tingling. He looked down, to see a frankly alarming amount of his torso covered in dried blood, all seeming to originate from a wound on his marked arm.

"What the hell happened?" he murmured faintly.

"Well...you got shot. Bullet wounds are fairly messy. I've stopped the blood as best I could, and it doesn't seem like it hit anything too important but...there's still a hole in your shoulder. So. We are about half an hour out from where I plan on stopping for a few hours. We can lay low and get some supplies. I'll patch you up better then. Do you think you can bear with it for that long?"

Allen turned his head with some difficulty to look at his friend. The man looked so worried and tired and...fond? It was a mix of emotions that Allen had a hard time parsing out, but the fear and concern in the other man's one visible eye reminded him that he wasn't the only one with problems. Lavi had risked a lot for this, for him. More than a lot really. Everything. Allen had to be strong. For Lavi's sake.

The merman tried for a weak smile. "Yes. Let's just...let's just keep going? I can make it."

Lavi evaluated him for just a moment before returning the smile.

"Alright. Just hang on, it's not much farther now."

With that, the door once again closed and Allen was left alone with his thoughts.

He's got it bad.

Well, maybe not alone.